Oral Care Apparatus

ABSTRACT

An oral care apparatus that includes an oral care implement and a tracking module detachably coupled to the oral care implement. The oral care implement includes a body having an inner surface that defines an internal cavity. The tracking module may be coupled to the oral care implement by inserting a portion of the tracking module into the internal cavity of the body. The tracking module includes a coupling portion and an electronics portion that are coupled together so as to be fixed together in the axial direction but freely rotatable relative to one another. The tracking module may only be able to be inserted into the internal cavity of the body in a single orientation. Furthermore, when in the internal cavity, the electronics portion of the tracking module may be non-rotatable relative to the body while the coupling portion of the tracking module remains rotatable relative to the body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/190,697, filed Nov. 14, 2018, which claims priority toChinese Patent Application Serial No. 201711155369.X, filed Nov. 17,2017, the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Myriad implements and devices for maintaining oral health are known. Forexample, toothbrushes of both the manual and powered variety, floss,dentifrices, applicators, agents, and the like are all known to providedifferent benefits in the oral cavity. Moreover, some devices andmethods exist to monitor oral health. A new trend has been to enablecommunication between an oral care implement and a display device toenable a user to visualize and/or track his or her oral hygiene habitson a screen on the display device. However, such devices typicallyinclude after-market attachments for the oral care implement thatinclude the necessary electronic components and these are notaesthetically pleasing. Alternatively, such devices may include theelectronic components built directly into the device, which is expensivefor the consumer because it requires the user to replace the entireproduct when the brush head needs to be replaced. Thus, a need existsfor an oral care implement of the type described herein that isaesthetically pleasing, simple to use, easy to handle for persons of allages, and that reduces consumer costs by enabling the consumer to reusethe electronic components while replacing the cleaning portions thattend to wear out quickest.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to an oral care apparatus thatincludes an oral care implement and a tracking module detachably coupledto the oral care implement. The oral care implement includes a bodyhaving an inner surface that defines an internal cavity. The trackingmodule may be coupled to the oral care implement by inserting a portionof the tracking module into the internal cavity of the body. Thetracking module includes a coupling portion and an electronics portionthat are coupled together so as to be fixed together in the axialdirection but freely rotatable relative to one another. The trackingmodule may only be able to be inserted into the internal cavity of thebody in a single orientation. Furthermore, when in the internal cavity,the electronics portion of the tracking module may be non-rotatablerelative to the body while the coupling portion of the tracking moduleremains rotatable relative to the body.

In one aspect, the invention may be an oral care apparatus comprising:an oral care implement comprising a body having an internal cavity; atracking module extending along a longitudinal axis, the tracking modulecomprising: a coupling portion configured to couple the tracking moduleto the body of the oral care implement; and an electronics portioncomprising at least one sensor configured to measure at least one of aposition, an orientation, and a movement of the oral care implement whenthe tracking module is coupled to the oral care implement; wherein theelectronics portion and the coupling portion are coupled together so asto be freely rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to oneanother; and wherein the oral care apparatus is alterable between: (1)an attached state in which the tracking module is coupled to the oralcare implement with the electronics portion of the tracking module atleast partially positioned within the internal cavity of the body; and(2) a detached state in which the tracking module is completelyseparated from the oral care implement

In another aspect, the invention may be an oral care apparatuscomprising: an oral care implement comprising a body having an internalcavity; a tracking module extending along a longitudinal axis, thetracking module comprising: a coupling portion configured to couple thetracking module to the body of the oral care implement; and anelectronics portion comprising at least one sensor configured to measureat least one of a position, an orientation, and a movement of the oralcare implement when the tracking module is coupled to the oral careimplement; wherein at least a portion of the tracking module ispositioned within the internal cavity of the body of the oral careimplement so that the electronics portion of the tracking module isnon-rotatable relative to the body of the oral care implement while thecoupling portion of the tracking module is rotatable relative to thebody of the oral care implement to couple the tracking module to thebody of the oral care implement.

In yet another embodiment, the invention may be a method of assemblingan oral care apparatus that includes an oral care implement and atracking module that monitors a user's oral care hygiene behavior, themethod comprising: providing an oral care implement comprising aninternal cavity; providing a tracking module comprising a couplingportion and an electronics portion, the electronics portion comprisingat least one sensor configured to measure at least one of a position anorientation, and a movement of the oral care implement when the trackingmodule is coupled to the oral care implement; inserting at least aportion of the electronics portion of the tracking module into theinternal cavity of the body of the oral care implement therebypreventing relative rotational movement between the electronics portionof the tracking module and the body of the oral care implement; androtating the coupling portion of the tracking module relative to theelectronics portion of the tracking module and relative to the body ofthe oral care implement to couple the tracking module to the oral careimplement.

In still another aspect, the invention may be an oral care apparatuscomprising: an oral care implement comprising a body having an internalcavity; a tracking module extending along a longitudinal axis, thetracking module comprising: a coupling portion configured to couple thetracking module to the body of the oral care implement; and anelectronics portion comprising at least one sensor configured to measureat least one of a position, an orientation, and a movement of the oralcare implement when the tracking module is coupled to the oral careimplement; wherein the oral care apparatus is alterable between: (1) anattached state in which the tracking module is coupled to the oral careimplement with the electronics portion of the tracking module at leastpartially positioned within the internal cavity of the body; and (2) adetached state in which the tracking module is separated from the oralcare implement; and wherein the electronics portion of the trackingmodule can only be positioned within the internal cavity of the body ina single orientation relative to the body.

In a further aspect, the invention may be an oral care apparatuscomprising: an oral care implement comprising a body having an internalcavity, the body extending along a longitudinal axis from a proximal endto a distal end; a tracking module comprising: a coupling portionconfigured to couple the tracking module to the body of the oral careimplement; and an electronics portion comprising a power source and aprinted circuit board having at least one sensor thereon, the at leastone sensor configured to measure at least one of a position, anorientation, and a movement of the oral care implement when the trackingmodule is coupled to the oral care implement; wherein the oral careapparatus is alterable between: (1) an attached state in which thetracking module is coupled to the oral care implement with theelectronics portion of the tracking module at least partially positionedwithin the internal cavity of the body; and (2) a detached state inwhich the tracking module is completely separated from the oral careimplement; and wherein in the attached state the printed circuit boardis located adjacent to the proximal end of the body of the oral careimplement and the power source is located between the printed circuitboard and the distal end of the body of the oral care implement.

In another aspect, the invention may be an oral care apparatuscomprising: an oral care implement comprising a body having an innersurface that defines an internal cavity, at least one protuberanceextending from the inner surface into the internal cavity; a trackingmodule comprising a coupling portion configured to couple the trackingmodule to the body of the oral care implement, the coupling portioncomprising a neck portion that terminates in a lower distal edge and anupper distal edge, the upper distal edge formed by an upstanding wallextending upwardly from the lower distal edge; a notch formed into theupstanding wall and extending from the upper distal edge downwardlytowards the lower distal edge, the notch dividing the upstanding wallinto a first portion and a second portion; and wherein the oral careapparatus is alterable between: (1) a detached state in which thetracking module is completely separated from the oral care implement;and (2) an attached state in which the tracking module is at leastpartially located within the internal cavity of the oral care implementand the tracking module is coupled to the oral care implement; andwherein in the attached state the protuberance extending from the innersurface of the body of the oral care implement nests within the notch inthe upstanding wall of the neck portion of the tracking module

In still another embodiment, the invention may be an oral care implementcomprising: a body extending along a longitudinal axis from a proximalend to a distal end, the body having an inner surface that defines aninternal cavity, the inner surface of the body having a firstsemicircular portion and a second semicircular portion that collectivelyform the inner surface of the body without overlapping; the innersurface of the body comprising a first alignment feature, a secondalignment feature, and a third alignment feature that arecircumferentially spaced apart from one another along the inner surfaceof the body; and wherein the first alignment feature is located alongthe first semicircular portion of the inner surface of the body and amajority of the second and third alignment features are located alongthe second semicircular portion of the inner surface of the body.

In yet another embodiment, the invention may be an oral care implementcomprising: a body extending along a longitudinal axis from a proximalend to a distal end, the body having an inner surface that defines aninternal cavity and an opening at the proximal end; the inner surface ofthe body having a transverse cross-sectional profile comprising: a firstconcave portion, a second concave portion, and a third concave portion;and a first channel, a second channel, and a third channel; and whereinthe first and second concave portions are separated by the firstchannel, the second and third concave portions are separated by thesecond channel, and the third and first concave portions are separatedby the third channel.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is front perspective view of an oral care apparatus including anoral care implement and a tracking apparatus in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the oral care apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the oral care apparatus of FIG. 1 with apower source exploded from a chassis of the tracking module;

FIG. 4 is the exploded view of FIG. 3 with the power source coupled tothe chassis of the tracking module;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the tracking module of the oralcare apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the tracking module of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a partially exploded view of the tracking module of FIG. 6illustrating a coupling portion of the tracking module separated from anelectronics portion of the tracking module;

FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9B is the cross-sectional view of FIG. 8A with the coupling portionof the tracking module rotated relative to the electronics portion ofthe tracking module;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX of FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the trackingmodule being inserted into an internal cavity of the oral careimplement;

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the trackingmodule fully inserted within the internal cavity of the oral careimplement prior to coupling the coupling portion of the tracking moduleto the oral care implement;

FIG. 13 is a close-up view of area XIII of FIG. 5 illustrating thetracking module coupled to the oral care implement with an illuminationsource of the tracking module illuminated;

FIGS. 14A-14C are front views of a proximal portion of the oral careapparatus of FIG. 1 illustrating a personalization ring having differentvisual features;

FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view taken along line XV-XV of FIG. 6illustrating an alternative embodiment of the tracking module;

FIGS. 16A-16B are perspective views of an alternative embodiment of theoral care apparatus of FIG. 1 illustrating the oral care implementincluding a handle portion and a head portion that is detachabletherefrom;

FIG. 17 is a schematic electric diagram illustrating the electroniccomponents of the tracking module and an external electronic device andcommunication therebetween;

FIG. 18 is a front view of the tracking module of the oral careapparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19A is a cross-sectional view taken along line IXX-IXX of FIG. 2with the coupling portion of the tracking module in a first angularposition relative to the oral care implement;

FIG. 19B is a cross-sectional view taken along line IXX-IXX of FIG. 2with the coupling portion of the tracking module in a second angularposition relative to the oral care implement; and

FIG. 19C is a cross-sectional view taken along line IXX-IXX of FIG. 2with the coupling portion of the tracking module in a third angularposition relative to the oral care implement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merelyexemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention,its application, or uses.

The description of illustrative embodiments according to principles ofthe present invention is intended to be read in connection with theaccompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entirewritten description. In the description of embodiments of the inventiondisclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merelyintended for convenience of description and is not intended in any wayto limit the scope of the present invention. Relative terms such as“lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “above,” “below,” “up,”“down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g.,“horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed torefer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawingunder discussion. These relative terms are for convenience ofdescription only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed oroperated in a particular orientation unless explicitly indicated assuch. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,” “connected,” “coupled,”“interconnected,” and similar refer to a relationship wherein structuresare secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectlythrough intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigidattachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise.Moreover, the features and benefits of the invention are illustrated byreference to the exemplified embodiments. Accordingly, the inventionexpressly should not be limited to such exemplary embodimentsillustrating some possible non-limiting combination of features that mayexist alone or in other combinations of features; the scope of theinvention being defined by the claims appended hereto.

As used throughout, ranges are used as shorthand for describing each andevery value that is within the range. Any value within the range can beselected as the terminus of the range. In addition, all references citedherein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. In theevent of a conflict in a definition in the present disclosure and thatof a cited reference, the present disclosure controls.

Features of the present invention may be implemented in software,hardware, firmware, or combinations thereof. The computer programsdescribed herein are not limited to any particular embodiment and may beimplemented in an operating system, application program, foreground orbackground processes, driver, or any combination thereof. The computerprograms may be executed on a single computer or server processor ormultiple computer or server processors.

Processors described herein may be any central processing unit (CPU),microprocessor, micro-controller, computational, or programmable deviceor circuit configured for executing computer program instructions (e.g.,code). Various processors may be embodied in computer and/or serverhardware of any suitable type (e.g., desktop, laptop, notebook, tablets,cellular phones, etc.) and may include all the usual ancillarycomponents necessary to form a functional data processing deviceincluding without limitation a bus, software and data storage such asvolatile and non-volatile memory, input/output devices, graphical userinterfaces (GUIs), removable data storage, and wired and/or wirelesscommunication interface devices including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LAN, etc.

Computer-executable instructions or programs (e.g., software or code)and data described herein may be programmed into and tangibly embodiedin a non-transitory computer-readable medium that is accessible to andretrievable by a respective processor as described herein whichconfigures and directs the processor to perform the desired functionsand processes by executing the instructions encoded in the medium. Adevice embodying a programmable processor configured to suchnon-transitory computer-executable instructions or programs may bereferred to as a “programmable device,” or “device,” and multipleprogrammable devices in mutual communication may be referred to as a“programmable system.” It should be noted that non-transitory“computer-readable medium” as described herein may include, withoutlimitation, any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory includingrandom access memory (RAM) and various types thereof, read-only memory(ROM) and various types thereof, USB flash memory, and magnetic oroptical data storage devices (e.g., internal/external hard disks, floppydiscs, magnetic tape CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, optical disk, ZIP™ drive, Blu-raydisk, and others), which may be written to and/or read by a processoroperably connected to the medium.

In certain embodiments, the present invention may be embodied in theform of computer-implemented processes and apparatuses such asprocessor-based data processing and communication systems or computersystems for practicing those processes. The present invention may alsobe embodied in the form of software or computer program code embodied ina non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which when loadedinto and executed by the data processing and communications systems orcomputer systems, the computer program code segments configure theprocessor to create specific logic circuits configured for implementingthe processes.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-5 concurrently, an oral care apparatus 1000will be described in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The oral care apparatus 1000 generally comprises an oral careimplement 100 and a tracking module 200. The oral care implement 100 isused for cleaning a user's oral cavity (i.e., the teeth, gums, andteeth) in a normal manner and the tracking module 200 is used fortracking a user's toothbrushing habits and/or generating data about theuser's toothbrushing habits, and/or transmitting that data to anexternal electronic device where it may be shown on a display. Thetracking module 200 may include a processor or other circuitry thatmakes the tracking module 200 a “smart” device. Thus, in someembodiments the tracking module 200 may be considered a smart module.Alternatively, the tracking module 200 may only include the sensors anda transmitter to transmit data to an external device, and the externalelectronic device may have the processor to perform the requiredprocessing of the data. The oral care implement 100 functions in asimilar manner to a standard toothbrush except that it also has a cavityfor housing the tracking module 200. In one embodiment, the trackingmodule includes all of the electronic technology associated with theoral care apparatus 1000 that enables the oral care apparatus 1000 totrack a user's toothbrushing habits and provide coaching and instantfeedback to the user.

The oral care implement 100 and the tracking module 200 are configuredso as to be detachably couplable to one another. Specifically, the oralcare apparatus 1000 is alterable between: (1) an attached state,illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which the tracking module 200 iscoupled to the oral care implement; and (2) a detached state,illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, in which the tracking module 200 iscompletely separated from the oral care implement 100. The oral careapparatus 1000 can be readily and easily altered between the attachedand detached states as will be appreciated from the description thatfollows. When assembled, the tracking module 200 is held together as asingle part and thus attaching it to and separating it from the oralcare implement 100 is a simple task that can be accomplished in a matterof a few seconds.

As will be discussed in greater detail below, in the exemplifiedembodiment the tracking module 200 is coupled to the oral care implement100 by inserting a portion of the tracking module 200 into an internalcavity of the oral care implement 100. As a result, with the oral careapparatus 1000 in the attached state, most of the tracking module 200 iscovered from view due to it being located within the internal cavity ofthe oral care implement 100. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the oralcare apparatus 1000 in the attached state a portion of the trackingmodule 200 protrudes from the end of the oral care implement 100 so asto be exposed. This exposed portion of the tracking module 200 may servesome functional purposes (e.g., as a stand, as an indicator, etc.), asdescribed in more detail herein below.

In some embodiments, the oral care implement 100 does not include any(i.e., is free of) electronic components. Thus, the oral care implement100 does not include any switches, power sources, circuitry, wiring, orthe like. Rather, all of the electronic components associated with theoral care apparatus 1000 are formed as a part of the tracking module200. The oral care implement 100 merely serves as the device that isused for oral cavity cleaning and as a housing for holding the trackingmodule 200. This enables the oral care implement 100 to be replaceablein a cost-effective manner while the tracking module 200 may be reusedwith a replacement oral care implement 100. This is important becausethe electronic circuitry of the oral care apparatus 1000 is the mostexpensive part thereof, and enabling the tracking module 200 to bereused with replacement oral care implements 100 results in reducedcosts for the consumer. Furthermore, in the event that the trackingmodule 200 stores data relevant to a particular user's oral hygienehabits, enabling the user to continue to use that tracking module 200even as the oral care implement 100 requires replacement increases thelongevity of the oral care apparatus 1000 and reduces consumerfrustration in having to “start over” with a new tracking module 200each time the oral care implement 100 requires replacement (i.e., everythree months or so). Thus, if the oral care implement 100 requiresreplacement, a user can simply remove the tracking module 200 from theoral care implement 100 and dispose of the oral care implement 100,purchase a new oral care implement 100, attach the tracking module 200to the new oral care implement 100, and continue using the oral careapparatus 1000 with the new oral care implement 100 in the normalmanner.

In the exemplified embodiment, the oral care implement 100 is a manualtoothbrush. Thus, the invention will be described herein with thedetails predominately directed to a manual toothbrush. However, incertain other embodiments the oral care implement 100 can take on otherforms such as being a powered toothbrush (including a motor that moves abristle holder or a vibratory element that vibrates the head or portionsthereof), a tongue scraper, a gum and soft tissue cleanser, a waterpick, an interdental device, a tooth polisher, a specially designedansate implement having tooth engaging elements, or any other type ofimplement that is commonly used for oral care. Still further, the oralcare implement 100 may not be one that is specifically used for oralcare in all embodiments, but rather it may be an implement such as adeodorant application implement, a face or body cleaning implement, amake-up applicator implement, a razor or shaving implement, a hairbrush,or the like. Thus, it is to be understood that the inventive conceptsdiscussed herein can be applied to any type of personal care implementunless a specific type of implement is specified in the claims.

In the exemplified embodiment, the oral care implement 100 generallyincludes a body 101 comprising a handle 110 and a head 120. The oralcare implement 100 generally extends along a longitudinal axis A-A froma proximal end 103 to a distal end 104. Conceptually, the longitudinalaxis A-A is a reference line that is generally coextensive with thethree-dimensional center line of the body 101. Because the body 101 may,in certain embodiments, be a non-linear structure, the longitudinal axisA-A of the body 101 may also be non-linear in certain embodiments.However, the invention is not to be so limited in all embodiments and incertain other embodiments the body 101 may have a simple lineararrangement and thus a substantially linear longitudinal axis A-A.

The handle 110 is an elongated structure that provides the mechanism bywhich the user can hold and manipulate the oral care implement 100during use. In the exemplified embodiment, the handle 110 is genericallydepicted having various contours for user comfort. Of course, theinvention is not to be so limited in all embodiments and in certainother embodiments the handle 110 can take on a wide variety of shapes,contours and configurations, none of which are limiting of the presentinvention unless so specified in the claims.

In the exemplified embodiment, the body 101 including the handle 110 andthe head 120 is formed of a rigid plastic material, such as, for examplewithout limitation, polymers and copolymers of ethylene, propylene,butadiene, vinyl compounds, and polyesters such as polyethyleneterephthalate. Of course, the handle 110 may include a resilientmaterial, such as a thermoplastic elastomer, as a grip cover that ismolded over portions of or the entirety of the handle 110 to enhance thegripability of the handle 110 during use. For example, portions of thehandle 110 that are typically gripped by a user's palm during use may beovermolded with a thermoplastic elastomer or other resilient material tofurther increase comfort to a user.

The head 120 of the oral care implement 100 is coupled to the handle 110and comprises a front surface 121, an opposing rear surface 122, and aperipheral surface extending between the front and rear surfaces 121,122. In the exemplified embodiment, the head 120 is formed integrallywith the handle 110 as a single unitary structure using a molding,milling, machining or other suitable process. However, in otherembodiments the handle 110 and the head 120 may be formed as separatecomponents which are operably connected at a later stage of themanufacturing process by any suitable technique known in the art,including without limitation thermal or ultrasonic welding, a tight-fitassembly, a coupling sleeve, threaded engagement, adhesion, orfasteners. In some embodiments, the head 120 may be detachable from thehandle 110 (see, for example, FIGS. 16A and 16B).

In the exemplified embodiment, a plurality of tooth cleaning elements115 extend from the front surface 121 of the head 120. In theexemplified embodiment, the tooth cleaning elements 115 are genericallyillustrated. In certain embodiments, the exact structure, pattern,orientation, and material of the tooth cleaning elements 115 are not tobe limiting of the present invention. Thus, the term “tooth cleaningelements” may be used herein in a generic sense to refer to anystructure that can be used to clean, polish or wipe the teeth and/orsoft oral tissue (e.g. tongue, cheek, gums, etc.) through relativesurface contact. Common examples of “tooth cleaning elements” include,without limitation, bristle tufts, filament bristles, fiber bristles,nylon bristles, spiral bristles, rubber bristles, elastomericprotrusions, flexible polymer protrusions, combinations thereof, and/orstructures containing such materials or combinations. Suitableelastomeric materials include any biocompatible resilient materialsuitable for uses in an oral hygiene apparatus. To provide optimumcomfort as well as cleaning benefits, the elastomeric material of thetooth or soft tissue engaging elements has a hardness property in therange of A8 to A25 Shore hardness. One suitable elastomeric material isstyrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene block copolymer (SEBS) manufactured byGLS Corporation. Nevertheless, SEBS material from other manufacturers orother materials within and outside the noted hardness range could beused.

The tooth cleaning elements 115 of the present invention can beconnected to the head 120 in any manner known in the art. For example,staples/anchors, in-mold tufting (IMT) or anchor free tufting (AFT)could be used to mount the cleaning elements/tooth engaging elements. Incertain embodiments, the invention can be practiced with variouscombinations of stapled, IMT or AFT bristles. In AFT, a plate ormembrane is secured to the brush head such as by ultrasonic welding. Thebristles extend through the plate or membrane. The free ends of thebristles on one side of the plate or membrane perform the cleaningfunction. The ends of the bristles on the other side of the plate ormembrane are melted together by heat to be anchored in place. Anysuitable form of cleaning elements may be used in the broad practice ofthis invention. Alternatively, the bristles could be mounted to tuftblocks or sections by extending through suitable openings in the tuftblocks so that the base of the bristles is mounted within or below thetuft block.

Although not illustrated herein, in certain embodiments a soft tissuecleanser may be coupled to or positioned on the rear surface 122 of thehead 120 for cleaning the gums, tongue, and other soft tissue surfaceswithin a user's oral cavity. An example of a suitable soft tissuecleanser that may be used with the present invention and positioned onthe rear surface 122 of the head 120 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.7,143,462, issued Dec. 5, 2006 to the assignee of the presentapplication, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein byreference. In certain other embodiments, the soft tissue cleanser mayinclude protuberances, which can take the form of elongated ridges,nubs, or combinations thereof. Of course, the invention is not to be solimited and in certain embodiments the oral care implement 100 may notinclude any soft tissue cleanser.

As best illustrated in FIG. 5, the body 101 of the oral care implement100 comprises an inner surface 105 and an outer surface 106. The innersurface 105 of the body 101 defines an internal cavity 107, which is ahollow space within which a portion of the tracking module 200 ispositioned when the oral care apparatus 1000 is in the attached state.The oral care implement 100 also comprises an opening 108 at theproximal end 103 of the body 101 that forms a passageway into theinternal cavity 107. Thus, as described in greater detail below, thetracking module 200 may be placed into the internal cavity 107 bypassing the tracking module 200 through the opening 108 at the proximalend 103 of the body 101 and into the internal cavity 107. The trackingmodule 200 may also be removed from the internal cavity 107 of the body101 through the opening 108.

The tracking module 200 extends from a first end 201 to a second end 202along a longitudinal axis B-B. The tracking module 200 generallycomprises a coupling portion 210 and an electronics portion 250. Thecoupling portion 210 is the portion of the tracking module 200 that isconfigured to couple the tracking module 200 to the body 101 of the oralcare implement 100. The electronics portion 250 comprises the electroniccomponents associated with the oral care apparatus 1000 for achieving adesired functionality. In one exemplary embodiment, the oral careapparatus 1000 is intended to track the position, orientation, and/ormovement of the oral care implement 100 while a user brushes his or herteeth to provide a user with real-time information about his or herbrushing habits and technique and/or to provide a user with feedbackafter completion of brushing. To achieve this tracking of the position,orientation, and/or movement of the oral care implement 100, in theexemplified embodiment the electronics portion 250 comprises at leastone sensor that is configured to measure at least one of a position, anorientation, and a movement of the oral care implement 100 when thetracking module 200 is coupled to the oral care implement 100. Thesensor can then generate date indicative of the position, orientation,and/or movement of the oral care implement 100 and can transmit thatdata to an external electronic device, as described in more detail belowwith reference to FIG. 17. Of course, the invention is not limited tothe tracking module 200 being configured to track the position,orientation, and/or movement or the oral care implement 100 in allembodiments and other functional goals and purposes may be achieved bythe tracking module 200 in other embodiments as an alternative to or inaddition to those noted herein.

Referring to FIG. 17, an electronic schematic illustrating one exemplaryembodiment of the electronic portion 250 of the tracking module 200 isshown in operable communication with an external electronic device 300.The electronic portion 250 of the tracking module 200 may comprise aprocessor 295, at least one sensor 296, a power source 297, a wirelesstransmitter or transceiver 298, and an illumination source 299 that areoperably coupled together in the manner required to provide power toeach of the components and ensure that the processor 295 can receiveinstructions from and send instructions to each of the other componentsas needed. It should be appreciated that not all of these components arerequired in all embodiments. For example, the illumination source 299may be an optional component. Furthermore, the processor 295 may beomitted and the processing may occur within the external electronicdevice 300.

The at least one sensor 296 may be a single sensor or it may be multiplesensors in different embodiments. Specifically, the tracking module 200may comprise 9-axis sensors including a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axisgyroscope, and a 3-axis magnetometer. Of course, the invention is not tobe so limited and the tracking module 200 may comprise 6-axis sensors orthe like in other embodiments as desired. A 6-axis sensor may include a3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis gyroscope, or it may include a 3-axisaccelerometer and a 3-axis magnetometer, or it may include a 3-axisgyroscope and a 3-axis magnetometer. Various combinations are possibleso long as they enable the tracking module 200 to perform its function,which in the exemplified embodiment is tracking position, orientation,and/or movement of the oral care implement 100 within a user's oralcavity during toothbrushing. Thus, for purposes of this disclosure, theat least one sensor 296 may be selected from the group consisting of anaccelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer, and the at least onesensor 296 may include more than one of these components.

The transceiver 298 may be any device configured to permit communicationbetween the tracking module 200 and another electronic device (i.e., theexternal electronic device 300). Thus, the transceiver may be aBluetooth transceiver, Wi-Fi, Near Field Communication (NFC), GSM/UMTS,infrared wireless communication, satellite communication, Zigbee, or thelike. In the exemplified embodiment communication between the trackingmodule 200 and the external electronic device 300 is wireless, but itmay be wired in other embodiments. The power source 297 may be anysource capable of providing power to the other electronic components ofthe tracking module 200. In the exemplified embodiment the power source297 may be a battery, but the invention is not to be so limited in allembodiments and the power source 297 may take on any other form as wouldbe readily appreciated by persons in the art.

As described herein, the oral care apparatus 1000, and more specificallythe tracking module 200, is configured to communicate with an externalelectronic device 300. Such an external electronic device 300 may be amobile phone (e.g., smart phone), a laptop, a tablet, a microcomputerwith telecommunication means, or any other device having a display meansfor displaying information related to toothbrushing activity or thelike. In the exemplified embodiment, the external electronic device 300comprises a processor 301, a transceiver 302 (or a receiver), a powersource 303, and a display 304 that are operably coupled together forproper operation of the external electronic device 300. The externalelectronic device 300 may also include a memory which may beincorporated into the processor 301 or may be a separate component thatis operably coupled to the processor 301. The tracking module 200 maycommunicate wirelessly with the external electronic device 300 via acommunication connection between the transceiver 298 of the trackingmodule 200 and the transceiver 302 of the external electronic device 300(which may be Bluetooth in the exemplified embodiment).

In certain embodiments as described herein, the tracking module 200tracks the position, orientation, location, and/or movement of the oralcare implement 100 during use. The sensor 296 of the tracking module 200may generate data indicative of the position, orientation, location,and/or movement of the oral care implement 100 and, via its operableconnection to the transceiver 298 (and perhaps also to the processor295), transmit that data to the external electronic device 300 where itcan be displayed on the display 304 of the external electronic device300. The display 304 may illustrate, using graphics in real-time, thelocation of the oral care implement 100 within a user's oral cavity. Thegraphics may illustrate regions of the oral cavity that have alreadybeen brushed and regions that have not yet been brushed during a singleoral care cleaning session. The graphics may include a game to encouragean individual to brush thoroughly, in a specific brushing pattern, for aspecific duration, in a specific location within the oral cavity, or thelike. Thus, by placing the tracking module 200 into operablecommunication with the external electronic device 300, a user can beprovided with information regarding his or her brushing habits bothduring a brushing session (real-time or live) and after completion of abrushing session. The tracking module 200 and/or the external electronicdevice 300 (such as through a software application that is downloadedand saved on the external electronic device 300) may keep track of auser's brushing habits over time to provide the user with thatinformation so that the user can make adjustments to his or her brushingstyle if needed.

As noted above, FIGS. 1 and 2 provide different views of the oral careapparatus 1000 in the attached state. FIG. 3 provides a view of the oralcare apparatus 1000 in the detached state with the power source 297 alsodetached from the tracking module 200. FIG. 4 provides a view of theoral care apparatus 1000 in the detached state with the power source 297attached to the tracking module 200.

Referring to FIGS. 6-8 concurrently, the structural details of thetracking module 200, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, will be described. The tracking module 200 comprisesthe coupling portion 210 and the electronics portion 250, which areillustrated in their fully assembled forms but separated from oneanother in FIG. 8. In the exemplified embodiment, the coupling portion210 of the tracking module 200 comprises a first component 211 and asecond component 215 that are coupled together. In some embodiments,each of the first and second components 211, 215 of the coupling portion210 of the tracking module 200 are formed of a transparent plasticmaterial. Forming the coupling portion 210 out of a transparent materialenables a light from a light source to be readily seen through thecoupling portion 210 so that the light can be used as an indicator, asdescribed in more detail below. However, the first and second components211, 215 may be formed of other materials in other embodiments and neednot be transparent in all embodiments. Furthermore, although in theexemplified embodiment the coupling portion 210 of the tracking module200 comprises the first component 211 and the second component 215 asseparate structures that are coupled together, the invention is not tobe so limited in all embodiments. Rather, in alternative embodiments thecoupling portion 210 of the tracking module 200 may be a single unitaryand integral component such that the first and second components 211,215 thereof are a single part.

The first component 211 forms an end cap having an outer surface 212 andan inner surface 213 that defines a cavity 214. When the first andsecond components 211, 215 are coupled together, a lower portion 216 ofthe second component 215 is located within the cavity 214 of the firstcomponent 211 and a neck portion 217 of the second component 215 extendsfrom the first component 211. The neck portion 217 of the secondcomponent 215 of the tracking module 200 comprises an inner surface 218that defines a cavity 219 and an outer surface 220 having a firstconnection feature 221 thereon. The first connection feature 221 of theneck portion 217 of the second component 215 of the coupling portion 210of the tracking module 200 facilitates coupling of the tracking module200 to the body 101 of the oral care implement 100, as described morefully herein below. In the exemplified embodiment, the first connectionfeature 221 comprises screw threads. However, the invention is not to beso limited and the first connection feature 221 can take on otherstructural forms so long as it is configured to couple with a connectionfeature comprised by the body 101 of the oral care implement 100.

The coupling portion 210 of the tracking module 200 further comprises apersonalization ring 290. The personalization ring 290 is coupled to atop edge of the first component or end cap 211 of the tracking module200. The personalization ring 290 may be detachably coupled to the firstcomponent 211 of the tracking module 200 so that it can be swapped outor exchanged for a different personalization ring 290, as discussed inmore detail below with reference to FIGS. 14A-14C. The personalizationring 290 may be any color, pattern, texture, or the like to assist auser in identifying the tracking module 200 or oral care apparatus 1000that belongs to that particular user. The personalization ring 290 isexposed in the fully assembled oral care apparatus 1000 (in the attachedstate) so that it is visible for identification purposes.

The electronics portion 250 of the tracking module 200 comprises achassis 251 having an outer surface 252. The chassis 251 comprises afirst portion 253 forming a first compartment 254 that retains the powersource 297 and a second portion 255 forming a second compartment 256that retains the at least one sensor 296. More specifically, in theexemplified embodiment the first compartment 254 is size and shaped tohold a battery therein when a battery (such as a AA or AAA alkalinebattery) is used as the power source 297. However, the size of the firstcompartment 254 may be modified as needed so that it is configured toretain any desired power source. Furthermore, as seen in FIG. 7, the atleast one sensor 296 is located on a printed circuit board 257 on whichthe at least one sensor 296 and all of the other necessary circuitcomponents (i.e., the processor 295, the transceiver 298, theillumination source 299, capacitors, diodes, resistors, integratedcircuits, and the like) are mounted in the traditional manner. Theprinted circuit board 257 is then retained within the second compartment256 formed by the second portion 255 of the chassis 251. The printedcircuit board 257 may be removably positioned within the secondcompartment 256 via engagement between a slot of the second compartment256 and opposing edges of the printed circuit board 257. Alternatively,the printed circuit board 257 may be non-removably coupled to thechassis 251 within the second compartment 256 by using adhesive,welding, or the like to securely retain the printed circuit board 257 inplace within the second compartment 256.

A first electrical contact element 258 is in contact with a firstterminal of the power source 297 and with a first electrical contact(not shown) on the printed circuit board 257. A second electricalcontact element 259 is in contact with a second terminal of the powersource 297 and with a second electrical contact (not shown) on theprinted circuit board 257. The first and second electrical contactelements 258, 259 are electrically isolated from one another. In thismanner, power from the power source 297 is supplied to the printedcircuit board 257 and the electronic components thereon. Thus, thetracking module 200 is a stand-alone unit that includes all of theelectronic circuitry needed to perform the toothbrushing trackingfunctions described herein including a power source to power theelectronic circuitry.

The chassis 251 has a third portion 260 located in between the first andsecond portions 252, 255. Furthermore, the chassis 251 has a lockingfeature 261 within the third portion 260 of the chassis 251 between thefirst and second portions 252, 255 of the chassis 251. The lockingfeature 261 facilitates coupling of the coupling portion 210 of thetracking module 200 to the electronics portion 250 of the trackingmodule 200, the details of which will be described herein below. In theexemplified embodiment, the locking feature 261 is an annular grooveformed into the third portion 260 of the chassis 251. Of course, theinvention is not to be so limited in all embodiments and the lockingfeature 261 may be an annular ridge or the like in other embodiments.

The electronics portion 250 and the coupling portion 210 of the trackingmodule 200 are coupled together in the following manner. First, abattery or other power source 297 is placed within the first compartment254 and the printed circuit board 257 is placed within the secondcompartment 256. Next, the second portion 255 of the chassis 251 withthe printed circuit board 257 retained in the second compartment 256 isinserted into the cavity 219 of the neck portion 217 of the secondcomponent 215 of the coupling portion 210. The electronics portion 250and the coupling portion 210 continue to be translated towards oneanother in the axial direction until the locking feature 261 (i.e., theannular groove) of the chassis 251 is aligned with a channel 222 formedinto the outer surface 220 of the neck portion 217 of the secondcomponent 215 of the coupling portion 210.

Next, a locking element 270 is inserted through the channel 222 untilthe locking element 270 at least partially nests within the annulargroove of the locking feature 261. In the exemplified embodiment, thelocking element 270 comprises a staple and it is a separate componentfrom the coupling portion 210 and the electronics portion 250 of thetracking module 200. However, the locking element 270 may be an integralpart of the coupling portion 210 or the electronics portion 250 in otherembodiments. The locking element 270 remains engaged with the neckportion 217 of the second component 215 of the coupling portion 210 asit nests within the annular groove of the locking feature 261 of thechassis 251 of the electronics portion 260. Thus, the locking element270 is coupled to the neck portion 217 of the coupling portion 210 andnests within the annular groove of the locking feature 261 of theelectronics portion 260. As a result, once the locking element 270 isinserted into the channel 222 and nests within the annular groove of thelocking feature 261, the coupling portion 210 and the electronicsportion 250 are substantially fixed relative to one another in an axialdirection. Thus, the coupling portion 210 and the electronics portion250 cannot be readily separated from one another without firstdisengaging the locking element 270 from the annular groove of thelocking feature 261. However, when coupled together in this manner, theelectronics portion 250 and the coupling portion 210 are freelyrotatable about the longitudinal axis B-B relative to one another. Theelectronics portion 250 and the coupling portion 210 are not movablerelative to one another in the axial direction.

The relative rotation between the coupling portion 210 and theelectronics portion 250 is illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B. FIG. 9Aillustrates the locking element 270 in place so that a bight portion 271of the locking element 270 is located within the channel 222 of the neckportion 217 of the coupling portion 210 and the legs 272 of the lockingelement 270 extend into openings 223 on an opposite side of the neckportion 217 of the coupling portion 210. Furthermore, the legs 272 alsonest within the annular groove of the locking feature 261. This mannerof coupling the coupling portion 210 to the electronics portion 250permits those two components to be freely rotatable about thelongitudinal axis B-B relative to one another. This is best shown bycomparing FIG. 9A to FIG. 9B where it can be seen that the couplingportion 210 is rotating about the longitudinal axis B-B while theelectrics portion 250 remains in the same rotational position. Thecoupling portion 210 and the electronics portion 250 can rotate freelyin both rotational directions relative to one another even whileremaining coupled axially together due to the locking element 270.Stated another way, although the coupling portion 210 and theelectronics portion 250 are freely rotatable relative to one another(they can be rotated 360° relative to one another), the coupling portionand the electronics portion 250 are substantially fixed relative to oneanother in the axial direction.

In an alternative embodiment, the locking feature 261 may be an integralpart of the coupling portion 210 of the tracking module 200 rather thanbeing a staple or some other type of component that is separate from thecoupling portion 210 of the tracking module 200. For example, referringbriefly to FIG. 15, an alternative embodiment of a portion of a trackingmodule 200 a is illustrated in cross-section. In this embodiment, thestaple is omitted and instead the locking element 270 a is formed as anannular flange that is an integral part of the coupling portion 210 a.Thus, in this embodiment the coupling portion 210 a of the trackingmodule 200 a is coupled to the electronics portion 250 a of the trackingmodule 200 a by way of the locking element 270 a (i.e., the annularflange) nesting within the annular groove of the locking feature 261 a.The third portion 260 a of the chassis 251 a may have a ramped surface262 a to facilitate coupling of the coupling portion 210 a to theelectronics portion 250 a. Specifically, as the electronics portion 250a is inserted into the cavity 219 a of the neck portion 217 a, the neckportion 217 a can flex outwardly as the locking element 270 a ridesalong the ramped surface 262 a. Once coupled as shown in FIG. 15, thecoupling portion 210 a and the electronics portion 250 a aresubstantially fixed relative to one another in the axial direction.However, the engagement between the annular flange of the couplingportion 210 a and the annular groove 261 a of the electronics portion250 a enables the coupling portion 210 a and the electronics portion 250a to be freely rotatable relative to one another about the longitudinalaxis B-B of the tracking module 200 a.

In both the main embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6-8 and the alternativeembodiment shown in FIG. 15, the coupling portion 210 and theelectronics portion 250 are coupled together so as to be substantiallyfixed relative to one another in the axial direction while being freelyrotatable about the longitudinal axis B-B relative to one another. Ofcourse, further alternative embodiments are also possible so long as thecoupling portion 210 and the electronics portion 250 are coupledtogether so as to be freely rotatable relative to one another about therotational axis while being substantially fixed relative to one anotherin the direction of the longitudinal axis B-B. Thus, although groovesand ridges/protuberances are illustrated and described herein as beingformed into one of the coupling portion 210 or the electronics portion250, it may be swapped in alternative embodiments. For example, theelectronics portion 250 may have a flange that fits within a grooveformed into the coupling portion 210 as an alternative to that which isdepicted in FIG. 15.

By enabling the coupling portion 210 to freely rotate relative to theelectronics portion 250, the electronics portion 250 can be held in theinternal cavity 107 of the body 101 in a fixed rotational position whilepermitting the coupling portion 210 to rotate relative to theelectronics portion 250 of the tracking module and relative to the body101 of the oral care implement 100. It is this structural feature thatfacilitates coupling of the tracking module 200 to the oral careimplement 100 while ensuring that the electronics portion 250 remains ina specific orientation for taking consistent measurements, as describedin more detail below with reference to FIGS. 11-13.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 18, the neck portion 217 of the couplingportion 210 of the tracking module 200 terminates in a lower distal edge231 and an upper distal edge 232. Specifically, the neck portion 217comprises an upstanding wall 233 that extends from the lower distal edge231 to the upper distal edge 232. Furthermore, a notch 234 is formedinto the upstanding wall 233 and extends from the upper distal edge 232in a direction towards the lower distal edge 231. The notch 234 dividesthe upstanding wall 233 into a first portion 235 and a second portion236. The notch 234 receives a protuberance of the oral care implement100 to provide the user with a tactile indication that the trackingmodule 200 is fully coupled to the oral care implement 100, as discussedin detail below.

Referring to FIGS. 19A-19C, a cross-sectional view of the oral careimplement apparatus 1000 is provided at the location of the notch 234.Thus, FIGS. 19A-19C illustrate the oral care apparatus 1000 with thetracking module 200 located within the internal cavity 107 of the body101 of the oral care implement 100. As can be seen, there is aprotuberance 199 extending from the inner surface 105 of the body 101into the internal cavity 107. As the coupling portion 210 of thetracking module 200 is being rotated relative to the body 101 of theoral care implement 100 as discussed herein above, at some point theupstanding wall 233 becomes axially aligned with the protuberance 199.The protuberance 199 then rides along the first portion 235 of theupstanding wall 233 until the protuberance 199 nests within the notch234. This progression is illustrated in FIGS. 19A through 19C. Thus, theprotuberance 199 rides along the first portion 234 of the upstandingwall 233 during rotation of the coupling portion 210 of the trackingmodule 200 relative to the body 101 of the oral care implement 100 untilthe protuberance 199 falls into and becomes nests within the notch 234,as shown in FIG. 19C. In this regard, the first portion 234 of theupstanding wall 233 comprises a ramped or chamfered surface 237 thatfacilitates this process.

As a result of the interaction between the upstanding wall 233 of thetracking module 200 and the protuberance 199 of the oral care implement100, a user perceptible tactile event occurs when the tracking module200 is fully coupled to the oral care implement 100. Specifically, auser might couple the tracking module 200 to the oral care implement 100via rotation of the coupling portion 210 of the tracking module 200relative to the body 101 of the oral care implement 100 as describedpreviously. During this rotation, the coupling portion 210 of thetracking module 200 moves axially within the internal cavity 107 of thebody 101 until the protuberance 199 and the upstanding wall 233 are atthe same axial elevation. At this point, the user will continue torotate the coupling portion 210 of the tracking module 200 relative tothe body 101, but the user will be able to feel, with his or her hand,the protuberance 199 riding along the first portion 235 of theupstanding wall 233 and then snapping into the notch 234. Thus, thisprovides the user with a tactile indication that no further rotation ofthe coupling portion 210 of the tracking module 200 is needed becausethe tracking module 200 is fully coupled to the oral care implement 100.

Referring to FIG. 10, a cross-section of the oral care apparatus 1000 isillustrated in the attached state to show the interaction between thebody 101 of the oral care implement 100 and the tracking module 200 thatmaintains the electronics portion 250 of the tracking module 200 in aspecific orientation relative to the body 101. In the exemplifiedembodiment, the inner surface 105 of the body 101 of the oral careimplement 100 comprises a plurality of alignment channels 109 formedtherein. In the exemplified embodiment, there are three of the alignmentchannels 109 formed into the inner surface 105 of the body 101. Ofcourse, more or less than three of the alignment channels 109 arepossible in other embodiments. Furthermore, in this embodiment thechassis 251 of the electronics portion 250 of the tracking module 200comprises a plurality alignment ridges 265 protruding from its outersurface 252. There are three of the alignment ridges 265 illustrated inthe exemplified embodiment, but more or less than three of the alignmentridges 265 are possible in other embodiments. Although the alignmentchannels 109 are formed into the inner surface 105 of the body 101 andthe alignment ridges 265 are protruding from the outer surface 252 ofthe chassis 251 in the exemplified embodiment, the invention is not tobe so limited and in other embodiments alignment channels may be formedinto the chassis 251 while respective alignment ridges are protrudingfrom the inner surface 105 of the body 101 of the oral care implement100. Furthermore, although the alignment channels 109 are illustrated asbeing formed directly into the inner surface 105 of the body 101, inother embodiments the oral care implement 100 may include an insertcomponent that is positioned within the internal cavity 107 and thealignment channels 109 (or alignment ridges as the case may be) may beformed into the insert component.

The alignment ridges 265 of the chassis 251 are angularly/rotationallyaligned with the alignment channels 109 in the inner surface 105 of thebody 101 so that when the tracking module 200 is positioned within theinternal cavity 107 of the body 101, the alignment ridges 265 nestwithin the alignment channels 109. Due to the angular location of thealignment channels 109 and the alignment ridges 265, the tracking module200 can only be positioned within the internal cavity 107 of the body101 in a single orientation and position relative to the body 101.Specifically, because there are three of the alignment ridges 265 andalignment channels 109, there is only one orientation relative to thebody 101 at which the tracking module 200 can be inserted into theinternal cavity 107. Although three alignment ridges 265 and alignmentchannels 109 are illustrated in the exemplified embodiment, this canalso be achieved with one, two, or more than three of the alignmentridges 265 and alignment channels 109 and/or using other mechanicallyinterlocking and mating features, such as any type of lock-and-key typemating relationship between a feature on the tracking module 200 and afeature on the inner surface 105 of the body 101 of the oral careimplement 100. Furthermore, although in the exemplified embodiment thealignment ridges 265 are on the tracking module 200 and the alignmentchannels 109 are formed into the body 101 of the oral care implement100, this may be reversed in other embodiments.

In the exemplified embodiment, if the tracking module 200 were rotatedin either direction and in any degree relative to the body that isdifferent than that which is shown in FIG. 10, the alignment ridges 265would not be aligned with the alignment channels 109 and the trackingmodule 200 would be prevented from being inserted into the internalcavity 109 in that orientation. Thus, the tracking module 200 must berotated relative to the body 101 until the alignment ridges 265 areexactly aligned with the alignment channels 109, and then the trackingmodule 200 can be translated into the internal cavity 107. In theexemplified embodiment, in the single orientation the at least onesensor 296 is aligned with the tooth cleaning elements 115 and/or facesin the same direction as the tooth cleaning elements 115.

In some embodiments, the invention described herein may be directed tothe oral care implement 100 by itself. Specifically, as discussed abovethe oral care implement 100 may be sold as a “refill” such that thetracking module 200 may be reused with different oral care implements100. The refill oral care implements 100 may be needed when the toothcleaning elements 115 thereof become splayed and require replacement.Alternatively, different oral care implements having different toothcleaning element patterns and/or configurations may be desired when eachachieves a different purpose (general cleaning, gentle cleaning forsensitive teeth/gums, abrasive or thorough cleaning, tooth whitening, orthe like). Thus, in some embodiments the oral care implement 100 may initself form an inventive apparatus.

Still referring to FIG. 10, the inner surface 105 of the body 101 of theoral care implement 100 comprises a first semicircular portion 181 and asecond semicircular portion 182 that collectively form the inner surface105 of the body 101. The first and second semicircular portions 181, 182have an interface located along a plane E-E that is parallel to thelongitudinal axis A-A of the oral care implement 100 and locatedcentrally between front and rear surfaces 116, 117 of the body 105.Stated another way, the plane E-E extends between lateral sides of thebody 105 that are located between the front and rear surfaces 116, 117of the body 105. The plane E-E divides the inner surface 105 of the body101 into the first and second semicircular portions 181, 182

Specifically, each of the first and second semicircular portions 181,182 of the body 101 form a 180° portion of the inner surface 105 of thebody 101 so that collectively the first and second semicircular portions181, 182 of the body 101 form the entire 360° of the inner surface 105of the body 101. In that regard, the first and second semicircularportions 181, 182 of the inner surface 105 of the body 101 do notoverlap one another. The inner surface 105 of the body 101 comprises afirst alignment feature 183, a second alignment feature 184, and a thirdalignment feature 185. In the exemplified embodiment, each of the first,second, and third alignment features 183, 184, 185 comprises one of thechannels 109 described previously. Of course, the invention is not to beso limited and each of the first, second, and third alignment features183, 184, 184 may be formed by a ridge, rib, protrusion, or the like inother embodiments so long as it ensures proper alignment of the trackingmodule 200 when the tracking module 200 is being inserted into theinternal cavity 107 of the body 101 as described herein.

In the exemplified embodiment, the first alignment feature 183 islocated along the first semicircular portion 181 of the inner surface105 of the body 101 and the second and third alignment features 184, 185are located along the second semicircular portion 182 of the innersurface 105 of the body 101. In the exemplified embodiment, an entiretyof the second and third alignment features 184, 185 is located along thesecond semicircular portion 182 of the inner surface 105 of the body101. In an alternative embodiment, a majority of the second and thirdalignment features 184, 185 may be located along the second semicircularportion 182. What this means is more than one-half of the length of thesecond and third alignment features 184, 185 would be located within thesecond semicircular portion 182 while the remaining portion of thesecond and third alignment features 184, 185 would be located within thefirst semicircular portion 181.

In the exemplified embodiment, due to the locations of the alignmentsfeatures 183, 184, 185, the inner surface 105 of the body 101 isasymmetrical about the plane E-E that is parallel to the longitudinalaxis A-A of the body 101 and intersects the opposing lateral sides ofthe body 101. Furthermore, the inner surface 105 of the body 101 may besymmetrical about a plane F-F that is parallel to the longitudinal axisA-A of the body 101 and intersects the front and rear surfaces 116, 117of the body 101.

The structure of inner surface 105 of the body 101 of the oral careimplement 100 will now be described in terms of its transversecross-sectional profile, as illustrated in FIG. 10. Specifically, theinner surface 105 of the body 101 comprises a first concave portion 191,a second concave portion 192, a third concave portion 193, a firstchannel 194, a second channel 195, and a third channel 196. The firstand second concave portions 191, 192 are separated by the first channel194, the second and third concave portions 192, 193 are separated by thesecond channel 195, and the third and first concave portions 193, 191are separated by the third channel 196. The first concave portion 191,the second concave portion 192, and the first channel 194 form the firstsemicircular portion 181 of the inner surface 105 of the body 101 andthe third concave portion 193, the second channel 195, and the thirdchannel 196 form the second semicircular portion 182 of the innersurface 105 of the body 101. In this embodiment, the third concaveportion 193 is longer than each of the first and second concave portions191, 192 and therefore forms a greater portion/percentage of the innersurface 105 of the body 101 than the first and second concave portions191, 192. As seen in FIG. 10, the transverse cross-sectional profile ofthe inner surface 105 of the body 101 is asymmetrical about the planeE-E that is parallel to the longitudinal axis A-A of the body 101 andintersects first and second lateral sides of the body 101 andsymmetrical about the plane F-F that is parallel to the longitudinalaxis A-A of the body 101 and intersects the front surface 116 and therear surface 117 of the body 101.

Once the tracking module 200 is positioned within the internal cavity107 of the body 101, the electronics portion 250 of the tracking module200 is prevented from rotating relative to the body 109 due to theengagement between the alignment ridges 265 of the chassis 251 of theelectronics portion 250 of the tracking module 200 and the alignmentchannels 109 formed into the inner surface 105 of the body 101 of theoral care implement 100. Thus, even if a person were to attempt torotate the electronics portion 250 of the tracking module 200 relativeto the body 101, it would not be possible. Specifically, if one were toattempt to rotate the electronics portion 250 clockwise, a wall 266 of afirst one of the alignment ridges 265 would engage a wall 118 of a firstone of the alignment channels 109 to prevent such clockwise rotation ofthe electronics portion 250 of the tracking module 200. If one were toattempt to rotate the electronics portion counter-clockwise, a wall 267of a second one of the alignment ridges 265 would engage a wall 119 of asecond one of the alignment channels 109 to prevent suchcounter-clockwise rotation of the electronics portion 250 of thetracking module 200.

Thus, the electronics portion 250 of the tracking module 200 isconfigured to be positioned within the internal cavity 107 of the body101 in a single orientation. It is not possible to position theelectronics portion 250 of the tracking module 200 in the internalcavity 107 in any orientation other than the single orientation.Furthermore, it is not possible to rotate the electronics portion 250 ofthe tracking module 200 relative to the body 101 when the electronicsportion 250 of the tracking module 200 is positioned within the internalcavity 107 of the body 101. Thus, the alignment channels 109 and thealignment ridges 265 operate to ensure proper alignment of theelectronics portion 250 of the tracking module 200 relative to the body101 of the oral care implement 100 and to maintain the electronicsportion 250 of the tracking module 200 in the single acceptableorientation. The alignment channels 109 and the alignment ridges 265 mayalso be referred to herein as anti-rotation channels and anti-rotationridges because they prevent rotation of the electronics portion 250 ofthe tracking module 200 while the tracking module 200 is positionedwithin the internal cavity 107 of the body 101 of the oral careimplement 100.

Turning now to FIGS. 11-13, the process of assembling the oral careapparatus 1000 by inserting the tracking module 200 into the internalcavity 107 of the oral care implement 100 and coupling the trackingmodule 200 to the body 101 of the oral care implement 100 will bedescribed. First, the alignment ridges 265 of the electronics portion250 of the tracking module 200 are aligned with the alignment channels109 of the body 101. Next, the first end 202 of the tracking module 200is inserted through the opening 108 in the proximal end 103 of the body101 and into the internal cavity 107. The tracking module 200 iscontinued to be moved into the internal cavity 107 by translating thetracking module 200 relative to the body 101 in a direction of thelongitudinal axis A-A until it can no longer be translated (see FIG.12).

As noted previously, the outer surface 220 of the neck portion 217 ofthe coupling portion 210 of the tracking module 200 comprises a firstconnection feature 221 thereon which in the exemplified embodimentcomprises first screw threads. Furthermore, the inner surface 105 of thebody 101 of the oral care implement 100 comprises a second connectionfeature 111 thereon which in the exemplified embodiment comprises secondscrew threads. The second connection feature 111 is located adjacent tothe proximal end 103 of the body 101 of the oral care implement 100.Stated another way, the second screw threads are located closelyadjacent to the opening 108 at the proximal end 103 of the body 101 withonly a small space between the proximal end 103 and the beginning of thesecond screw threads. During insertion of the electronics portion 250 ofthe tracking module 200 into the internal cavity 107 of the body 101 ofthe oral care implement 100, as soon as the first screw threads of thefirst connection feature 221 of the tracking module 200 abut against thesecond screw threads of the second connection feature 111 of the body101, the tracking module 200 can no longer be moved into the internalcavity 107 simply by translating the tracking module 200 in thedirection of the longitudinal axis A-A. The abutment between the firstand second screw threads of the first and second connection features221, 111 is illustrated in FIG. 12.

Once translation of the tracking module 200 is stopped as noted above,the alignment ridges 265 of the electronics portion 250 of the trackingmodule 200 are nesting within the alignment channels 109 of the body 101of the oral care implement 100. As a result, when the tracking module200 is in this position relative to the body 101 of the oral careimplement 100 (see FIG. 12), the electronics portion 250 of the trackingmodule 200 is prevented from rotating relative to the body 101 of theoral care implement 100. This is to ensure that the electronics portion250 of the tracking module 200, and more specifically the sensorsthereon, remain in the proper predetermined orientation relative to thebody 101 of the oral care implement 100 at all times during use.

At this point in the assembly process, the coupling portion 210 of thetracking module 200 is rotated relative to the body 101 of the oral careimplement 100 (and relative to the electronics portion 250 of thetracking module 200, which is prevented from rotating as describedherein) to mate or engage the first screw threads of the firstconnection feature 221 with the second screw threads of the secondconnection feature 111. Specifically, rotating the coupling portion 210of the tracking module 200 will automatically cause the first and secondscrew threads of the first and second connection features 221, 111 toengage one another, thereby coupling the tracking module 200 to the body101 of the oral care implement 100. FIG. 13 illustrates the oral careapparatus 1000 with the tracking module 200 fully coupled to the oralcare implement 100.

Each time that the tracking module 200 is coupled to the oral careimplement 100, the sensors 296 are in the exact same location andorientation relative to the body 101, and more specifically relative tothe tooth cleaning elements 115. Specifically, the sensors 296 are inthe exact same axial position and the exact same circumferentialposition. Thus, the sensors 296 are located in the exact same place anytime that the tracking module 200 is coupled to the oral care implement100. If there is an accelerometer and a magnetometer, the accelerometeris always in the same exact location and the magnetometer is always inthe exact same location when the tracking module 200 is coupled to theoral care implement. This is to ensure that the measurements being takenby those sensors 296 are consistent and accurate during each usage ofthe oral care apparatus 1000.

As noted previously, while the coupling portion 210 of the trackingmodule 200 is being rotated relative to the body 101, the electronicsportion 250 of the tracking module 200 does not and can not rotaterelative to the body 101. Rather, due to the interaction between thealignment ridges 265 and the alignment channels 109, the electronicsportion 250 is held in place without rotating. Thus, when at least aportion of the electronics portion 250 of the tracking module 200 islocated within the internal cavity 107 of the body 101 of the oral careimplement 100, the electronics portion 250 of the tracking module 200 isnon-rotatable relative to the body 101 of the oral care implement 100while the coupling portion 210 of the tracking module 200 is rotatablerelative to the body 101 of the oral care implement 100 to couple thetracking module 200 to the body 101 of the oral care implement 100.Stated another way, the electronics portion 250 of the tracking module200 is prohibited from rotating relative to the body 101 during rotationof the coupling portion 210 of the tracking module 200. Thus, duringrotation of the coupling portion 210 to engage the first and secondscrew threads, the coupling portion 210 rotates relative to the body 101of the oral care implement 100 and relative to the electronics portion250.

Although the first and second connection features 221, 111 areillustrated and described herein as being screw threads, the inventionis not to be so limited in all embodiments. Rather, other structuralcomponents may be used that permit rotation of the coupling portion 210relative to the body 101 to result in the tracking module 200 beingcoupled to the body 100. Specifically, the coupling portion 210 of thetracking module 200 and the body 101 of the oral care implement 100 mayhave other mating structures that interact and engage each other uponrotation of the coupling portion 210 relative to the body 101. Forexample, a protrusion on the coupling portion 210 of the tracking module200 may engage a notch on the body 101 of the oral care implement 100such as, for example, via an interference fit. The rotation of thecoupling portion 210 may not result in translation of the trackingmodule 200 into the cavity 107 (as it does with the screw threadengagement of the exemplified embodiment), but it may instead simplylock the tracking module 200 in place. Variations to this are possibleand would be appreciated by persons skilled in the art.

As noted above, the electronics portion 250 of the tracking module 200can only be positioned within the internal cavity 107 of the body 101 ofthe oral care implement 100 in a single orientation relative to the body101. This is due to the location of the alignment ridges 265 on thechassis 251 and the alignment channels in the inner surface 105 of thebody 101. It is important to maintain the electronics portion 250 of thetracking module 200 in the same orientation relative to the body 101 atall times to ensure that the measurements being taken by the sensors ofthe electronics portion 250 of the tracking module 200 are consistentand accurate. Specifically, in some embodiments the tracking module 200is configured to measure the position or orientation of the oral careimplement 100 during toothbrushing. If the sensors that are measuringthe position or orientation of the oral care implement 100 may belocated in different orientations relative to the body 101 of the oralcare implement 100, different measurements will be sensed. Thus, eachtime that the tracking module 200 is coupled to the body 101, thesensors must be oriented in the same manner in order to ensureconsistency among the measurements taken by the sensors.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 13, in the exemplified embodiment the printedcircuit board 257 has a front surface 268 and an opposite rear surface269. The electronic components including the at least one sensor 296 arelocated on the front surface 268 of the printed circuit board 257. Inthe exemplified embodiment, in the single and only orientation that theelectronics portion 250 of the tracking module 200 is permitted to beplaced within the internal cavity 107 of the body 101, the front surface268 of the printed circuit board 257 and the front surface 121 of thehead 120 (from which the tooth cleaning elements 115 extend) face thesame direction. Of course, other possibilities exist such as the rearsurface 269 of the printed circuit board 257 and the front surface 121of the head 120 facing the same direction. It may merely be important insome embodiments that the printed circuit board 257, and hence also thesensors thereon, are positioned within the internal cavity 107 of thebody 101 in the same orientation each time that the tracking module 200is coupled to the body 101 of the oral care implement 100 regardless ofwhat that specific orientation may be.

When the oral care apparatus 1000 is in the attached state as shown inFIGS. 5 and 13, the tracking module 200 is coupled to the oral careimplement 100 with the printed circuit board 257 located adjacent to theproximal end 103 of the body 101 of the oral care implement 100 and thepower source 297 located between the printed circuit board 257 and thedistal end 104 of the body 101 of the oral care implement 100. Thus, theprinted circuit board 257 and the sensors positioned thereon are locatedat (or closely adjacent to) the proximal end 103 of the body 101. In theexemplified embodiment, the body 101 of the oral care implement 100 hasa length L1 measured between the proximal end distal ends 103, 104, andthe printed circuit board 257 is located within a bottom-most one-tenthof the length L1 of the body 101.

This positioning of the printed circuit board 257, and specifically theat least one sensor 296, may be important in some embodiments to ensureaccurate and consistent measurements can be taken by the sensor 296. Inthe exemplified embodiment, the printed circuit board 257 is locatedwithin the cavity 220 of the neck portion 217 so that the printedcircuit board 257 is aligned with the first connection feature 221.Stated another way, a plane C-C that is transverse to the longitudinalaxis B-B of the tracking module 200 intersects the printed circuit board257 and the first connection feature 221 (i.e., the screw threads on theneck portion 217).

Furthermore, in the exemplified embodiment, the printed circuit board257 protrudes beyond the proximal end 103 of the body 100. Thus, therealso exists a plane D-D that is transverse to the longitudinal axis B-Bthat intersects a portion of the printed circuit board 257 without alsointersecting the body 101 of the oral care implement 100. In theexemplified embodiment, the illumination source 299 is positioned on theprinted circuit board 257 at a location such that a plane transverse tothe longitudinal axis B-B of the tracking module that intersects theillumination source 299 does not also intersect the body 101 of the oralcare implement 100. Thus, a first portion of the printed circuit board257 is located within the internal cavity 107 of the body 101 and asecond portion of the printed circuit board 257 protrudes from theproximal end 103 of the body 101. The second portion of the printedcircuit board 257 includes the illumination source 299 in theexemplified embodiment.

Furthermore, in the exemplified embodiment the end cap (i.e., the firstcomponent 211) of the coupling portion 210 is in the shape of atruncated cone having a wider diameter at the bottom end than the topend. When the tracking module 200 is coupled to the oral care implement100, at least a portion of the electronics portion 250 of the trackingmodule 200 is located within the internal cavity 107 of the body 101 andat least a portion of the coupling portion 210 of the tracking module200 protrudes from the distal end 103 of the body 101. Morespecifically, the first component 211 of the coupling portion 210protrudes from the distal end 103 of the body 101. By having a truncatedcone shape as shown in FIGS. 5 and 13, the second component 211 of thecoupling portion 210 is configured to maintain the oral care apparatus1000 in an upright position when the oral care apparatus 1000 is in theattached state. Specifically, if the bottom end of the first component211 is placed upon a horizontal surface such as a desk, a sink, or thelike, the oral care apparatus 1000 will be maintained in an uprightorientation with the longitudinal axis A-A of the oral care implement100 extending perpendicularly from the horizontal surface.

Furthermore, as best seen in FIG. 13, the outer surface 212 of the firstcomponent 211 of the coupling portion 210 is flush with the outersurface 106 of the body 101 of the oral care implement 100. In someembodiments, the personalization ring 290 may be located adjacent theproximal end 103 of the body 101, in which case the outer surface of thepersonalization ring 290 may be flush with the outer surface 106 of thebody 101 of the oral care implement. This provides the oral careapparatus 100 with a seamless appearance that is aesthetically pleasingand that lacks protrusions or portions that “jut” outwardly to enhancecomfort during handling and use.

Referring to FIG. 13, in this embodiment the illumination source 299referred to above with reference to FIG. 17 is illustrated in anilluminated state. Because the coupling portion 210 of the trackingmodule 200 is transparent, when the illumination source 299 isilluminated, it lights up the coupling portion 210 of the trackingmodule 200. Due to the location of the circuit board 257 within thecavity 219 of the neck portion 217, when the illumination source 299 isilluminated, the coupling portion 210 of the tracking module 200 willlight up. In certain embodiments, the illumination source 299 maycomprise one or more LEDs. Alternatively, the illumination source 299may be something other than LED, such as OLED, incandescent, fluorescent(such as compact fluorescent light or CFL), halogen, or the like. Whenthe illumination source 299 includes one LED, it may be configured tolight up in multiple different colors. When the illumination source 299comprises multiple LEDs, each might be configured to illuminate in adifferent color. For example, the illumination source 299 mightilluminate in a first color to indicate Bluetooth (or other wireless)connectivity with the external electronic device 300, a second color toindicate that the tracking module 200 is recording and/or otherwisetracking a toothbrushing session, a third color to indicate the statusof the battery (i.e., low battery), and the like. Thus, the illuminationsource 299 may function as an indicator light to provide information toa user based on the color, flashing pattern, brightness, or the like atwhich the illumination source 299 is illuminated.

Furthermore, in the exemplified embodiment a bottom surface 224 of thesecond component 215 of the coupling portion 210 of the tracking module200 forms a lens for concentrating and/or dispersing the light generatedby the illumination source 299. By forming the bottom surface 224 of thesecond component 215 as a lens, the light from the illumination source299 can be directed in a desired manner to ensure that it is readilyseen by a user to provide the user with useful information. Theillumination source 299 is placed directly adjacent to the lens as seenin FIG. 13 to facilitate proper dispersion of the light generated by theillumination source 299.

Referring to FIGS. 14A-14C, a portion of the oral care apparatus 1000 isillustrated with the personalization rings 290 a-290 c having differentstyles. The personalization rings 290 a-290 c may have different colors,textures, patterns, materials, or the like. As discussed above, thepersonalization rings 290 a-290 c may be detachably coupled to the oralcare apparatus 1000, and more specifically to the tracking module 200.As a result, a user can swap out the personalization rings 290 a-290 cas desired to use a particular personalization ring 290 a-290 c that theuser most prefers based on color, pattern, material, texture, theme, orthe like. The purpose of FIGS. 14A-14C is to exemplify that differentpersonalization rings 290 may be attached to the oral care apparatus1000 to enable quick and easy identification of which oral careapparatus 1000 belongs to which user.

Referring to FIGS. 16A-16B, an alternative embodiment of an oral careapparatus 1000 a is illustrated. The oral care apparatus 1000 a isidentical to the oral care apparatus 1000 described above except that inthis embodiment the body 101 a comprises a handle portion 110 a and ahead portion 120 a that are detachable from one another. Thus, the headportion 120 a in this embodiment is a refill head so that the headportion 120 a can be replaced without also replacing the handle portion110 a. The handle portion 110 a and the head portion 120 a may includefeatures to facilitating coupling of the two portions together.

Use of the oral care apparatus 1000 will now be described. First, a userwill make sure that the tracking module 200 has a working power source297 (i.e., battery). Next, the tracking module 200 is inserted into thecavity 107 of the body 101 of the oral care implement 100 and thetracking module 200 is coupled to the body 101 of the oral careimplement 100 in the manner described in detail herein above. The oralcare apparatus 1000 may be left in this attached state all the time,both during use and in between uses. Thus, the oral care apparatus 1000may be stored in the attached state. The only reasons to alter the oralcare apparatus 1000 from the attached state to the detached state are tochange the power source 297 of the tracking module 200 or to attach thetracking module 200 to another oral care implement 100 when replacementof the first oral care implement 100 is required (due to splaying of thebristles, etc. oral care implements are supposed to be replaced everythree months).

When a user desires to use the oral care apparatus 1000 for teethcleaning, the user will pick up the oral care apparatus 1000, applydentifrice or the like to the tooth cleaning elements 115, apply waterto the tooth cleaning elements 115 as desired, and then insert the head120 of the oral care implement 100 into the user's oral cavity. The userwill then brush in the normal manner. The tracking module 200 may beconfigured to automatically power on upon detecting that the user iscleaning the oral cavity or brushing the teeth. Thus, in the exemplifiedembodiment neither the oral care implement 100 nor the tracking module200 has a power button. Rather, the tracking module 200 powers onautomatically upon detecting that the oral care implement 100 is beingused for tooth cleaning. Upon being powered on, the tracking module 200,and more specifically the one or more sensors 296 thereof, will beginmeasuring the position, orientation, and/or movement of the oral careimplement and generating data indicative of the position, orientation,and/or movement of the oral care implement. Of course, in otherembodiments the tracking module 200 may include a power button or thelike to initiate activation thereof.

The tracking module 200 may be in operable communication with anexternal electronic device 300 as described herein. Thus, a user mayopen an application on the external electronic device 300 to initiatecommunication between the oral care apparatus 1000 and the externalelectronic device 300. This can be achieved by a user opening anapplication on a smart phone, or the like. In such an embodiment, oncecommunication is established between the oral care apparatus 1000 andthe external electronic device 300, the data being generated by the oneor more sensors 296 of the tracking module 200 may be transmitted to theexternal electronic device 300. This data can then be used to providethe user with real-time coaching and instant feedback regarding his orher toothbrushing technique. The display of the external electronicdevice 300 may display a game or other visual representation of theuser's toothbrushing to indicate to the user how effectively he or sheis brushing, which teeth/portions of the oral cavity have been brushedand which have not, and other information which may be desirable for auser to be presented with to enhance their oral hygiene experience andencourage proper brushing.

While the invention has been described with respect to specific examplesincluding presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variationsand permutations of the above described systems and techniques. It is tobe understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural andfunctional modifications may be made without departing from the scope ofthe present invention. Thus, the spirit and scope of the inventionshould be construed broadly as set forth in the appended claims.

1.-35. (canceled)
 36. An oral care apparatus comprising: an oral careimplement comprising a body having an internal cavity; a tracking moduleextending along a longitudinal axis, the tracking module comprising: acoupling portion configured to couple the tracking module to the body ofthe oral care implement; and an electronics portion comprising at leastone sensor configured to measure at least one of a position, anorientation, and a movement of the oral care implement when the trackingmodule is coupled to the oral care implement; wherein the oral careapparatus is alterable between: (1) an attached state in which thetracking module is coupled to the oral care implement with theelectronics portion of the tracking module at least partially positionedwithin the internal cavity of the body; and (2) a detached state inwhich the tracking module is separated from the oral care implement; andwherein the electronics portion of the tracking module can only bepositioned within the internal cavity of the body in a singleorientation relative to the body.
 37. The oral care apparatus accordingto claim 36 wherein the electronics portion of the tracking module andthe coupling portion of the tracking module are coupled together so asto be freely rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to oneanother while being fixed relative to one another in an axial direction.38. The oral care apparatus according to claim 36 wherein theelectronics portion of the tracking module is prevented from beingpositioned within the internal cavity of the body of the oral careimplement in any orientation relative to the body other than the singleorientation.
 39. The oral care apparatus according to claim 36 whereinwhen the electronics portion of the tracking module is at leastpartially positioned within the internal cavity of the body, theelectronics portion of the tracking module is non-rotatable relative tothe body.
 40. The oral care apparatus according to claim 36 wherein inthe attached state of the oral care implement, the coupling portion ofthe tracking module is rotatable relative to the body of the oral careimplement and relative to the electronics portion of the trackingmodule.
 41. The oral care apparatus according to claim 40 whereinrotating the coupling portion of the tracking module in a firstrotational direction engages a first connection feature of the couplingportion of the tracking module with a second connection feature of thebody of the oral care implement, and wherein rotating the couplingportion of the tracking module in a second rotational direction that isopposite the first rotational direction disengages the first connectionfeature of the coupling portion of the tracking module from the secondconnection feature of the body of the oral care implement.
 42. The oralcare apparatus according to claim 41 wherein one of the first and secondconnection features comprises first screw threads and the other of thefirst and second connection features comprises second screw threads thatmate with the first screw threads, the tracking module being coupled tothe oral care implement by inserting at least a portion of theelectronics portion of the tracking module into the internal cavity ofthe body and then rotating the coupling portion of the tracking modulerelative to the body in the first rotational direction so that the firstand second screw threads engage one another.
 43. The oral care apparatusaccording to claim 36 wherein the electronics portion of the trackingmodule comprises a chassis having an outer surface and wherein the bodyof the oral care implement comprises an inner surface that defines theinternal cavity, and further comprising a plurality of alignment ridgesformed into one of the outer surface of the chassis or the inner surfaceof the body of the oral care implement and a plurality of alignmentchannels formed into the other one of the outer surface of the chassisor the inner surface of the body of the oral care implement, and whereinthe plurality of alignment ridges of the one of the outer surface of thechassis or the inner surface of the body of the oral care implement nestwithin the plurality of alignment channels of the other one of the outersurface of the chassis or the inner surface of the body of the oral careimplement when the tracking module is coupled to the oral careimplement.
 44. The oral care apparatus according to claim 43 wherein theplurality of alignment ridges and the plurality of alignment channelsmaintain the electronics portion of the tracking module in the singleorientation relative to the body of the oral care implement, and whereinthe coupling portion of the tracking module rotates relative to theelectronics portion of the tracking module and the body of the oral careimplement for coupling the tracking module to the body of the oral careimplement.
 45. (canceled)
 46. The oral care apparatus according to claim36 further comprising: the body of the oral care implement comprising ahandle and a head; a plurality of tooth cleaning elements extending froma front surface of the head; the electronics portion of the trackingmodule comprising a printed circuit board having the at least one sensorcoupled thereto and a power source operably coupled to the at least onesensor, the at least one sensor located on a front surface of theprinted circuit board; and wherein in the single orientation the frontsurface of the printed circuit board and the front surface of the headface the same direction.
 47. An oral care apparatus comprising: an oralcare implement comprising a body having an internal cavity, the bodyextending along a longitudinal axis from a proximal end to a distal end;a tracking module comprising: a coupling portion configured to couplethe tracking module to the body of the oral care implement; and anelectronics portion comprising a power source and a printed circuitboard having at least one sensor thereon, the at least one sensorconfigured to measure at least one of a position, an orientation, and amovement of the oral care implement when the tracking module is coupledto the oral care implement; wherein the oral care apparatus is alterablebetween: (1) an attached state in which the tracking module is coupledto the oral care implement with the electronics portion of the trackingmodule at least partially positioned within the internal cavity of thebody; and (2) a detached state in which the tracking module iscompletely separated from the oral care implement; and wherein in theattached state the printed circuit board is located adjacent to theproximal end of the body of the oral care implement and the power sourceis located between the printed circuit board and the distal end of thebody of the oral care implement.
 48. The oral care apparatus accordingto claim 47 wherein the electronics portion and the coupling portion arecoupled together so as to be freely rotatable relative to one anotherabout the longitudinal axis while being substantially fixed relative toone another in an axial direction.
 49. The oral care apparatus accordingto claim 47 wherein the body of the oral care implement extends along alength, and wherein the printed circuit board is located within abottom-most one-tenth of the length of the body.
 50. The oral careapparatus according to claim 47 wherein the electronics portion of thetracking module comprises a chassis having a first portion forming afirst compartment that retains the power source and a second portionforming a second compartment that retains the printed circuit board. 51.The oral care apparatus according to claim 50 wherein the chassis of theelectronics portion of the tracking module comprises an annular groovelocated between the first and second portions, and further comprising alocking element coupled to the coupling portion of the tracking modulethat at least partially nests within the annular groove of the chassisto prevent relative axial movement between the coupling portion and theelectronics portion of the tracking module while permitting relativerotational movement between the coupling portion and the electronicsportion of the tracking module.
 52. The oral care apparatus according toclaim 47 wherein the coupling portion of the tracking module comprisesan end cap and a neck portion extending from the end cap, the neckportion having an inner surface that defines a cavity, and wherein theprinted circuit board of the electronics portion is located within thecavity of the neck portion of the coupling portion of the trackingmodule.
 53. The oral care apparatus according to claim 52 wherein anouter surface of the neck portion of the coupling portion of thetracking module comprises a first connection feature that mates with asecond connection feature on the inner surface of the body to couple thetracking module to the body, and wherein in the attached state the neckportion of the coupling portion of the tracking module is located withinthe internal cavity of the body of the oral care implement and the endcap of the coupling portion of the tracking module protrudes from theproximal end of the body of the oral care implement.
 54. (canceled) 55.The oral care apparatus according to claim 47 wherein the oral careimplement is free of any electronic components.
 56. The oral careapparatus according to claim 47 wherein the tracking module isconfigured to communicate with an external electronic device to senddata indicative of at least one of the position, the orientation, andthe movement of the oral care implement to the external electronicdevice during toothbrushing.
 57. A tracking module for an oral careimplement, the tracking module comprising: a coupling portion configuredto couple the tracking module to an oral care implement; an electronicsportion comprising at least one sensor configured to measure at leastone of a position, an orientation, and a movement of the oral careimplement when the tracking module is coupled to the oral careimplement; and wherein the electronics portion and the coupling portionare coupled together so as to be rotatable relative to one another abouta longitudinal axis of the tracking module. 58.-77. (canceled)